Tom Richards certainly started favourite for this match,
but you woldn't have found many takes for an 11/1 first game
against ace-retriever and fit-as-a-fiddle Scotsman Alan
Clyne.

To be fair, that 7-minute game had much more to do with the
Scot - Richards was steady, no more, while Clyne made nine
errors, mainly unforced, but Richards did finish the game
with two good winners.

From the start of the second Clyne was much more Clyne-like,
retrieving as he does, and cutting our the errors. Richards
son got the message that he was in for the sort of scrap
he'd been expecting.

The Scot had game ball in the second, couldn't take it, but
pulled clear early in the third to reduce the deficit. The
fourth was nip and tuck, never more than a point in it up to
9-all, before Richards finished it by picking off a
crosscourt drop, then volleying into the nick as Clyne dived
headlong, in vain.

"I was
surprised at the start, but it was pretty bouncy early on,
then it deadened up and so did my head!

"I relaxed, started to try to win it too easily and that
helped him back into it, then it became a qualifying grind
...

"I don't feel like I played like myself there, but the
difference between winning and losing in these qualifying
finals is so great, you just have to do what's needed.

"A win's a win, and I'm very happy to qualify."

"I just couldn't get my head together in the first, it took
me a while to get into it and I just gifted him a game which
you just can't afford to do against someone like Tom.

"I got my game together after that and we had some really
tough rallies. I had game ball in the second and the fourth
could have gone either way, but these are the matches I need
to start winning ..."

AARON PLAYED SO WELLBorja,
coming back from a few months of injury break after surgery
on his knee, was edgy today, from the word go.

Frustrated
every time he would make a simple error, chatting with his
opponent, with the refs, angry with himself, the man has
been putting so much pressure on himself…

His first time up
the rankings, he didn’t know what to expect, he didn’t know
where his game and talent would take him.

But now, he knows. He knows he is worth top 10. And he is so
hungry to get back up there.

Aaron played superb squash on the other hand. His backhand
drives were close to perfection every time, and his
combination, backhand crosscourt lob plus backhand drop shot
put Borja under extreme pressure the whole match, even if
Borja’s counterdropping and hard hitting eventually got the
better of the Australian.

One important thing to be noted. Even trailing 8/3, 9/4 in
games, Aaron fought for every rally, for every shot, as if
it was a match ball. And that is something I did admire
today, along with his determination and mixing shots and
pace…

A very long match, 98m, but an excellent one, not boring for
a minute.

"I
didn’t enjoy it today. I need to put pressure on myself,
because that’s the only way I’ll go up, but sometimes, if
pressure can be a positive thing, it can also be a negative
one…

"Aaron was so tight on the backhand today, I couldn’t attack
at all from there.

"And if you look at the first game, that
lasted probably 30m, I didn’t play one drop shot. And that’s
the difference between winning 11/6 or losing 11/9!!!

"Aaron played the good tactic I think today, he was very
tight indeed. And I’m so happy to get through, you know, at
2/2, everything can happen."

"I was playing not too bad up to 6/6 in the first two, but
physically, I was not strong enough. A bit of yesterday’s
heavy legs, obviously, but also, I should be able to back up
two matches one after the other.

"Mind you, I did got into the match to win it, not to play
extras! But every time Nico is leading, he is so dangerous,
very solid and gets his shots in pretty well. Still, when I
lead 6/1 in the 2nd, and I lose 11/6, there is something
that is not right! I can’t afford to do that at that level
of game.

"But it’s with tournaments of that calibre that one
improves, and I’m aware I’ve got some work to do. Some heavy
work to do. I wish Nico all the best for the tournament,
whereas for me, on my bike!!!"

NICO SO FAST
It was a bit of a shock for my system when I came from a 98m
match (Borja/Aaron) to next door, where after two games,
only 21m were on the clock! (and for me, when I arrived
seconds after the end of the match, hence no photos!)

Nicolas was as fast as it comes today, and the Frenchman,
well, a bit short physically, that led him to try and finish
the rallies far too early, finding the tin far too many
times to threaten the Swiss…

The
shorter the rallies, the better, if you win them, that’s
what I say!!!!!!

In the 2nd, I was down 6/1, I managed to speed up the pace,
and make it hard physically…I was aware Yann had a heavy
match yesterday, and I took pretty good advantage of that,
by playing at a high pace. I did some hard training in KW
last week, and the fact I lost had at least that advantage.

Yann and I are pretty good friends, so it’s a shame I have
to play him to qualify…

This is the second time I get into a big one, a platinum
one, last week in KW was my first one, and this is very
rewarding. I’ll see what the draw brings tomorrow…

Two youngsters made it through to the main draw, only one
of them Egyptian though.

Birthday Boy Henrik Mustonen followed up his fine
performance from yesterday with a win over Andrew Wagih,
with the Egyptian seeming to suffer most from yesterday's
travails.

This
is the biggest tournament I've ever played in, so to qualify
is really really nice.

"I knew he had a hard game yesterday, but mine wasn't
exactly easy, so I couldn't try to take advantage of that, I
just went out to play my own game, I tried to play carefully
and not go short too early.

"He got ahead in the fourth, he makes some good shots from
weird positions, but I managed to get a few points in a row
to stop it going to five.

"It will be a good experience for me to play on the glass
court, I don't get to play the top guys very often - and it
will be good for my coach to be able to see me play!"

Karim
Abdel Gawad - who beat Wagih in last month's El Gouna
qualifying finals - survived three close games against
Martin Knight to continue a fine run of form.

"I'm
very happy to reach the main draw, especially as I was
injured for seven days after El Gouna, and yesterday was the
first time I picked up a racket again!

"I wasn't expecting much from this tournament, but now I'm
looking forward to seeing who I play in the main draw.

" I just want to do my best and play well tomorrow, but a
day off would be nice!

"He likes to go for his shots…

"I was up 10/6 in the first, lost it 15/13…. I had a bit of
a lead, I was moving well, and he played like 3 winners, and
I made an error… There was not a lot into it, but when you
are at 10/10, you tighten up, become tentative.

"In the second, I didn’t think too much of the loss of the
first one, but as I lost it 11/5, I guess it affected me
without me realising it! He must have played 10 winners in
that game, wherever I would put it, if it was a bit loose or
short, well, that was it really.

"In the third, a bit of a similar story than the first one,
moving well, probably getting a second wind, up 6/2, then
8/4, but he plays 4 or 5 winners, and from 8/4 up I found
myself 11/8 down….

"Looking back, wining the first was quite important.. It
seems that it happening a lot to me recently, I can’t seem
to be able to win games, let alone matches…"

"In the first
two games, I made a lot of errors, mostly because I’m not
used to such a fast pace. Then, I concentrated on my length,
and in the 4th game, I think he lost concentration, so I
gladly took it.

"I knew he would come back with a vengeance in the 5th, so I
tried to take a good start, 6/2. At that point, I had a
little drop of energy, and he changed his game, volleying
more. At 6/6, we both slowed down the pace quite a lot, and
went for a lot of up and down the wall… He played really
well in the end, and made me make a lot of errors…"

I
was impressed by Max today, who never gave up, found some
lovely squash, and who probably was a bit better technically
than Simon. But the German, after a complete physical and
mental meltdown in the 3rd and 4th, and up to 6/2 in the
decider, got his second mental wind, if you see what I mean.
It was like he gave it a last push, forcing himself to hit
harder, faster, and vary the pace and angle very well.

Max, tired by that point, and maybe thinking he had a bit of
lead, probably relaxed half a second, and that was enough
for Simon to rush into that opening.

A few errors from Max, some gutsy rallies from Simon, and a
winner in 71+ that can be proud of his digging in today…

"I
don’t know why I was so tense, so nervous today. I had no
confidence in my shots. I managed somehow to take the first
two, and after that, I never felt I was in either the 3rd or
the 4th.

"Max is tough, he didn’t give me anything today. Last time
we played, I won 3/1, that was in London, but I can tell you
he has definitely improved since that!!!!

"But I can say I’ve never been so proud of my mental
strength today, being 2/0 up to be caught up 2/2, and being
6/2 down in the 5th, and coming back to take the match. I
owe it to the work I’m doing with my coach Wael back home.
Before, I would have let it go, I would have given up. But
not today. Not anymore. Thanks Wael!"

Gosh
I so like watching Omar play. He is such an awkward duck,
bless him, in the Egyptian clan. He moved in weird steps, as
if he was limping a bit, but actually goes very far, and
very fast!!! He is extremely patient, can rally up and down
till the camels come home, and will still find a winner at
the right time. And he is so passionate about his game,
every ball is a matter of life or death…

Julien was playing very well today in patches, drives nicely
in place, good volleying at the front, but slightly short
physically. And it showed a bit in the third, where in my
mind, he lost the match.

He was up comfortably 10/6, with Omar a bit out of breath,
making a few errors. But the French relaxed that much, and
the Egyptian just seized the moment, and went for it,
scoring six points in a row to seal the Frenchman’s fate.

Overcoming the disappointment, Ju, down 1/5 and 2/6,
gradually came back within reach 7/8. A few lets at that
crucial time of the match, I counted four, but it’s Julien
who clips the tin. And although he’ll save a match ball, the
Egyptian claims a well deserved victory today.

"Julien was up for it today, he seemed that he needed to win
more than I did…

"He got tired in the second, but still managed to play well,
with great experience. He played in the back, and then, when
he was tired, he would attack, like on a return of serve,
thing he doesn’t do normally! Every time I could hear him
breathing a bit heavily, I was on my toes, as I knew he was
going to attack!

"I’m better, still, I’m not at the max of my fitness, I was
really out of breath when I finished that match. And I think
Julien was really unlucky tonight…"